Lana Pelletier, the longtime partner of Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson, is reportedly his second cousin, putting the couple’s relationship under scrutiny during one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.
The claim first appeared on July 30 in The Maine Wire, which said genealogical records showed Pelletier and Jackson share the same great-grandparents. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) subsequently republished excerpts from the report.
Neither birth, marriage nor genealogical records were made publicly available with either article, meaning Newsweek hasn’t been able to independently verify the reported family connection.
Newsweek has contacted Jackson’s campaign and The Maine Wire for comment and to request copies of the records underlying the report.
...
Who Is Troy Jackson?
Jackson is a fifth-generation logger from Allagash in northern Maine and a former president of the Maine Senate. His official campaign describes him as a "lifelong fighter for workers' rights" and the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate.
Jackson entered the 2026 Senate contest as the replacement Democratic nominee after winning the party’s July 25 nominating convention. He’s challenging Republican Senator Susan Collins in the November 3 general election.
Who Is Lana Pelletier?
Pelletier has been Jackson’s partner for decades, and the couple has two adult sons, Chace and Camden, according to The Maine Wire. The outlet described them as high-school sweethearts and said they attended Fort Kent High School.
Jackson listed Pelletier as an immediate family member in a 2019 financial disclosure filed with the Maine Ethics Commission. The commission's form requires lawmakers to disclose certain income received by a spouse or domestic partner and dependent children.
In a written testimony submitted to the Maine Legislature in April 2023, which shows she was a resident of Allagash—the community Jackson also calls home—Pelletier described herself as a social worker and said she began smoking at 15 before quitting in her 20s when she became a mother. In the testimony, she was supporting a proposed ban on flavored tobacco products and said she had witnessed "how addiction can tear families apart and ruin lives."
Although some public materials over the years have referred to Pelletier as Jackson’s wife, The Maine Wire said it couldn’t find a marriage license for the couple.
What Do the Genealogical Records Say?
According to The Maine Wire, Jackson and Pelletier share the same great-grandparents, Thomas Pelletier and Edith Thibodeau Pelletier.
The outlet reported that their daughter, Albertine Pelletier O’Leary, was Jackson’s grandmother, while their son, Louis A. Pelletier Sr., was Pelletier’s grandfather. That would make Jackson’s mother and Pelletier’s father first cousins, and Jackson and Pelletier second cousins.
The report referred generally to "genealogical records" and local sources but didn’t publish or link to the original records supporting each part of the family tree.
Maine law doesn’t prohibit marriage between second cousins. It bars marriage between certain closer relatives, including parents, children, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. First cousins can marry, but they must provide a physician’s certificate showing they’ve received genetic counseling.
How Close Is Maine Electoral Race?
The Senate contest is tight, with the RealClearPolitics average of polls showing Jackson at 48.6 percent and Collins at 47.3 percent, giving Jackson a 1.3-point lead.
...
The campaign is being closely watched because control of the U.S. Senate could depend on a small number of competitive races. Jackson’s campaign is built around his logging background, support for organized labor, and the argument that Washington favors wealthy individuals and large corporations over working families.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Tony Phillips.